Hine, Lewis (1874-1940), was an American photographer and sociologist. A sociologist is a person who studies the individuals, institutions, and groups that make up human society. Lewis used photography to document and call attention to working conditions faced by immigrants, child laborers, and the poor.
Lewis Wickes Hine was born on Sept. 26, 1874 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1900, he began studying sociology at the University of Chicago. Hine moved to New York City in 1901. He received a master’s degree in education from New York University in 1905. He also received a master’s degree in sociology from Columbia University. He documented the conditions of immigrants at Ellis Island, the main U.S. reception center for immigrants, while working as a teacher at the Ethical Culture School in New York.
Hine is perhaps best known for his work for the National Child Labor Committee. Founded in 1904, the organization sought to reform (improve) conditions of child laborers. The organization hired Hine in 1908. He photographed his young subjects working in conditions that were dirty, unsafe, and unfit for children. His photographs were published in newspapers and magazines and on posters. The powerful images helped lead to the passage of federal laws regulating child labor.
Hine continued to use his photographs to expose the working conditions of exploited people until his death. He died on Nov. 3, 1940, in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
